In the current manufacturing process for optical fiber, optical fiber is typically wound onto a spool for measurement and testing, shipping to a customer, and subsequent processing at the customer's facility. The measurement and testing of optical fiber is currently performed manually by multiple technicians, with carts carrying a number of spools being manually moved from test station to test station. At a test station a technician removes a spool from the cart and places the spool on a measurement rack. The technician then strips and removes the plastic fiber coating from both ends of the optical fiber, cleaning off excess coating and any remaining debris. The fiber ends are manipulated by the technician into a cleaver and cut. Next, the technician loads the fiber ends into a computer controlled measurement system and initiates a measurement sequence to test at least one characteristic of the optical fiber, e.g., fiber cutoff wavelength, attenuation, fiber curl, cladding diameter, or coating diameter. The fiber is then removed from the testing system and the spool returned to the cart. All of the spools on the cart or only selected spools may be tested as desired. The cart is then manually moved to the next test station for another series of tests. The amount of manual labor involved results in high labor costs and higher manufacturing costs for optical fiber.
Accordingly, it would be highly advantageous to further automate the manual steps of optical fiber measurement and testing, reducing the time required in the measurement and testing area and thus reducing the cost of manufacturing optical fiber and providing faster feedback on the manufacturing process. Additionally, it would be highly advantageous to provide methods and apparatus for the automated testing of optical fiber which reduces the opportunity for human error and provides a more repeatable process.